Russia Bans Modern Warfare 2

[Shawn Zipay]

Due to the nature in which Russians are portrayed in Modern Warfare 2, the country has banned the sale of the game and have begun to recall all copies that were already sold.

The most complained about part of the game centers around a group of terrorists shooting civilians inside a Russian airport. Infinity Ward is already working on a version of the game that completely removes this level and is hoping to re-release the game in less than a month's time. However, this new version may still not be enough to allow the game to be sold in that region given how the game centers around a war between the US and Russia.

Russian gamers are apparently very unhappy with the game's content. One Web site, GotPS3, railed against Infinity Ward for catering to an American audience and ignoring the sensitivities of other cultures. The site believes that Infinity Ward portrays the Russians as terrorists.

This isn't the first time a country has taken issue with how their homeland was portrayed in a game. Another recent example is when the Venezuelan government took issue with Mercenaries 2 or when the North Korean government took issue with Ghost Recon 2.

[IC dead people]

Re: Russia Bans Modern Warfare 2

I think that if the airport level had been an American high school this game would have been banned in the US...

[Unregistered]

Re: Russia Bans Modern Warfare 2

they're just mad since the game doesn't have dedicated servers

[doost8]

Re: Russia Bans Modern Warfare 2

That is kinda ridiculous, is Russia saying they never had any terrorist groups? Why would someone rail an American company for catering to Americans? I would hate to live in a country that would ban a video game based on them being the villain. Do they ban movies where Russians are the enemy also? I just feel sorry for all the Russian gamers who are missing out on an entertaining game.

[-:Nighthawk:-]

Re: Russia Bans Modern Warfare 2

I think that if the airport level had been an American high school this game would have been banned in the US...

America, for the moment, is still a country that has a lot more freedoms than pretty much any other nation in the world. I'd agree that, had this been an American high school instead, the game may have received an AO (or "Adults-Only") rating instead of M. However, we live in a country where freedom of speech and expression are still highly valued, even if that expression is very offensive to some.

As such, you're not likely to see a video game banned from the USA unless it contains real video of an illegal act. For instance, the "Hot Coffee" scandal got GTA IV the "AO" rating until they were able to release a copy without the recorded sexual content. Were it to have contained a video of real-life child pornography, however, it would have been pulled from the shelves entirely and arrests made at Rockstar.

Most of the world doesn't have the same degree of freedom enjoyed (and sometimes abused) in America, however, so this really shouldn't be terribly surprising to anyone. Maybe they can appease the Russian market by redoing the vocals and saying it's Ukrainians instead. :P

I also think it's ridiculous to criticize a company for catering to citizens of the country it is based in. That is simply a reality, and it becomes your choice whether you play their games. Admittedly it's a lot easier to say that when you're living in the country that produces the bulk of the world's quality entertainment. It's not tough to live without playing games that come out of, say, China, regardless of whether their views are offensive to us or not.

Offenses do come from content, though, and no country is immune to that. I'm sure there would be plenty of offended people if some company made a game that featured the player acting in the role of a German officer during WWII gunning down Jews in a concentration camp, or a Klan member lynching runaway slaves, or any number of other sensitive issues. The only real difference is in how your particular country reacts to those offenses. Hopefully something works out that the paying Russian gamers can enjoy.